Rivers State governor Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has donated 100 operational vehicles to the State Police Command to boost emergency response.
Speaking at the formal inauguration and handover of the vehicles in Port Harcourt yesterday, Fubara advised partisan police officers who abandon their core professional responsibilities to pursue vested political interests to know that the enmity they fuel and eventually create will hurt them in the long run.
The governor maintained that police officers are engaged and trained as professionals to protect lives and property while contributing to the desired peace in the state as a patriotic duty.
He insisted that it was an aberration for any of them to think that protecting any particular individual or being one-sided in political affairs to the detriment of the state amounts to professionalism.
Fubara said: “I need to say this so you will understand. When you (Disu) came to Rivers State, and I had my encounter with you, I requested only one thing: I will never ask you to do what is wrong, so do what is right. Protect the lives and property of Rivers people. Don’t be partisan.
“We have seen those people that were partisan; how they ended. And, I am saying it here to every one of you who is an officer who is being partisan: You will see how you will end.
“So, work in such a way that when your name is mentioned in this state, or your children come to this state, you won’t be scared. This is important.”
The governor urged them to forget about the current political anxiety in the state because, according to him, nothing will last forever.
He charged them to conduct their operations as real professionals who have been trained to effectively protect the lives and property of people in Rivers State.
Fubara said: “It is not to protect any individual. It is not to be one-sided in the political affairs of the state. Politics will come, and it will go.
“The enmity you are creating, for those of you that are partisan, will live with you forever. I want to advise you that I have said it before and am saying it again: I will never ask any of you to do what is wrong. My appeal is to stand up for the ethics of your profession and protect the lives and property of Rivers people. Be fair to all.”
Commenting on the donated vehicles, the governor said it is an achievement of the Commissioner of police, whose idea was to make such operational vehicles available for his Command.
He explained that he had originally planned to provide very high-profile vehicles to all the security agencies in the state to enhance their operational capabilities.
In his remarks, the Rivers State commissioner of police, Olatunji Disu, described the event as a significant milestone in the ongoing commitment towards achieving the safety and security of the state.
Disu expressed gratitude to Governor Fubara for his unwavering support to the State Command of the Nigerian Police Force, which has translated into their dedication to serving the welfare of the various communities.
He said: “I stand before you filled with gratitude as we gather to commission these 100 vehicles, a generous donation from our esteemed Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.
“This act of generosity not only enhances our operational capacity but also reflects your deep concern for the state’s citizens.”
